You should know that the word “guarantee” from admissions counselors and tour guides doesn’t meet the common definition. For example, when we were on the tour 2 years ago they were so excited that they had just announced that UMD had just guaranteed 3 years of housing in the dorms. Now that my son is a rising sophomore, they have gone back to only guaranteeing 2 years in the dorm. So take all those “guarantees” with a grain of salt.
But everything else about the university has been top-notch. Even though UMD is big, my son’s engineering adviser spent a lot of time getting to know him and his goals. He had no problem getting into all his chosen electives. And the marching band experience was excellent.
But we had assumed that the school was telling the truth about the 3 year housing commitment. Instead, it’s all up to his luck in the lottery next year.